


spring

by marvels_agents100



Series: the keeper of horae [4]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25352947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvels_agents100/pseuds/marvels_agents100
Summary: seasons change, but he never does
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Reader
Series: the keeper of horae [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821433
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	spring

The conference room was silent, empty of life besides Aaron, who gently took the official crime scene photos off of the evidence board. The lines below his eyes ran deeply, his shoulders weighed down by the pure exhaustion that coursed through his veins. A soft click echoed from the door, his eyes dragging lazily to see who had entered the room. He could only muster a small smile when he saw it was you.

“The rest of the team is already back at the hotel,” you said quietly, your hands intertwining behind your back, “how are you doing, boss? I can handle this, if you want to go get some sleep.”

“I’ll be okay,” he answered quietly, turning back towards the mostly empty cork board, “you should rest.”

Your teeth gnawed on your lower lip for a moment, mind contemplating your next question, “Can I show you something?”

His gaze found you once more, eyebrows pulling together, “What is it?”

“It’s a ten minute drive,” you explained, “but, I can promise you won’t regret it.”

He held you in his stare for a second, trying in vain to pull any nonverbal clues as to what you were talking about. When no hints were visible, he let out a small sigh, “Alright, okay.”

The drive was silent, the sun beginning to settle into the mountains as you reached your destination.

You exited the car, Aaron not far behind you, and walked off of the dirt road. He was on your heels, not once questioning where you led him. You looked back and offered your hand with a small smile, his steps faltering slightly before he reached and interlocked his palm with yours. You tugged him along by his arm, your forward focus missing the blissed smile that graced his lips.

You finally reached the small hill, the hill whose west side was covered in vibrant wildflowers, facing directly at the setting sun. Releasing Aaron’s hand, you walked into the flowers and sat yourself in the midst of their color, legs crossing as your eyes stared at the yellow and orange that painted the sky. He followed your actions, shoulder brushing yours as he settled into the ground, legs stretched in front of him and palms leaning on the ground behind him.

He looked at the land around him; flowers dancing in the breath of spring, their lively hues bringing the promise of sunshine and occasional soft, warm rain. He breathed in deeply, letting the smell of honey and lavender overwhelm him, the wind carrying the fragrance of the blooming petals beneath it.

“Spring is my favorite season,” you spoke softly, your words being carried by the breeze, “it always reminds me of how alive our earth is.”

He hummed in response, eyes skimming over the pink that reflected off of the clouds.

“Why did you bring me here?” He questioned, his voice low and soft.

You looked to him, studying the way the sun reflected in his honeycomb irises, “This case was a bad one.”

His gaze met yours, “It was.”

“You said once that you had begun to see the beauty of this world,” you nearly whispered, “I figured you would need to witness some of that beauty after this week.”

Eyes jumping between yours, the corner of his lips twitched upwards, “Thank you.”

You nodded once before looking back to the falling sun, it’s rays reaching desperately to cling to the clouds. The flowers surrounding you perfumed the air, carding through your hair and embracing you completely. A content sigh left you, a smile settling on your face.

His eyes never left you, tracing over the slope of your nose and the minuscule curl of your lips. He memorized the way your hair seemed to glow in the orange light of the sun, the way your eyelashes brushed delicately against the wind, the way your shoulders relaxed as you took in the scenery surrounding you. He wanted to commit every detail of you to memory, just so he could look upon you when you were absent. But, the more he tried, the more he realized- you were already there, living in his thoughts. 

He could remember the way the snowflakes landed on your eyelashes and reddened your nose as he wrapped his scarf around your neck, or the way the ocean sparkled light into your eyes as you told him how you confessed your secrets to the water, or how your skin glowed next to the golden leaves that surrounded you, his scarf once again draped upon your shoulders. He didn’t need to remember every hair and freckle and wrinkle and dimple- he already knew them, he already knew you.

“I don’t need the world’s beauty,” he confessed, the words tumbling from his mind to his mouth before he had a chance to hold them back. You looked to him, head tilting in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean- I just,” he sighed, closing his eyes momentarily to collect himself, “This world is bright, it’s beautiful, and it took me a long time to realize that,” he looked towards the sun, “the sun shines it’s light down upon us, whether we deserve it or not.” He looked back to you, your eyebrows raised in curiosity, “You helped me see it. I was so focused on the night, that I never saw the stars.”

Your cheeks began to redden.

“But, my love,” he continued, “none of this beauty can compare to the beauty within you.”

You took a shaky breath in, willing the tears glistening your eyes to go away.

“Aaron Hotchner, are you calling me pretty?” You chuckled, your voice coming out watery and wavering.

He let out a small laugh, “I am,” his smile remained, “but not just in how you look, but who you are.”

Your hand quickly wiped at the water that trailed down your cheek, eyes blinking to prevent any further losses. “You’re making me cry,” you joked.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his thumb reaching forward and delicately brushing your cheekbone.

You sniffled, “You deserve to see it, the light this world has. You’ve lived in darkness and pain for so long.”

“And now, because of you,” he held onto your cheek, “I can believe that.”

Your eyes searched his face, your head leaning into his touch. 

“I always talk about the seasons,” you begin, “how each one is uniquely captivating,” your hand came to rest upon his, “and I always mention the sun, moon, and stars, how they’re constant and beautiful and wonderful.”

You broke his stare for just a moment, collecting your courage before looking at his warm honey eyes once again.

“It’s always been you, Aaron, you are my sun, my moon, and all of my stars. You are my summer, autumn, winter, and spring. You are every breeze that brushes the leaves, every petal the flowers grow. You’re every drop of rain, every ray of sunshine. Hell, Aaron, you are the words that fill the pages of my story, and I wouldn’t ever want to change that.”

He could feel the tear roll down his cheek, tracing along his dimples and dripping from his chin. He breathed, trying to ground the sudden dizziness that overwhelmed his head- probably from his heart beating far too rapidly- before speaking.

“I am completely and utterly in love with you,” he whispered, voice wavering slightly.

A wide, uncontrollable smile took over your face, your arms reaching to latch on around his neck, your body colliding into his as you let yourself fall into his arms. Your face rested in his neck, your giggles muffled by his skin.

“I can’t believe this is real,” you spoke against his pulse, “please tell me this is real, not just a dream.”

“You’re awake, love,” he whispered into your hair, back landing on the ground as he pulled you impossibly closer. 

Your head lifted, far hovering above his. You admired how the wildflowers adorned him, the foliate creating a crown around his head. His eye were still golden and soft, staring at you with a look of adoration. You hand brushed along his cheek, thumb grazing his bottom lip.

“Can I kiss you?” Your whispered, your words no more than a breath, their only listener being the man before you and the blossoms surrounding him.

“Always.”

Your head dipped slowly, giving plenty opportunity to put an end to everything before it had even started, but he gave no complaint as you inched closer to him. His eyes fluttered shut, hands reaching your cheeks, your breath upon his lips. You paused, lips brushing against his, letting yourself smile just one last time before finally reaching him.

His lips connected to yours with a soft passion, a sigh leaving his chest as he gripped onto your cheek. Your fingers wrapped around the hair along the nape of his neck, a satisfied groan escaping him. Pulling you closer, he refused to let you go, despite his hungry lungs.

The way your lips felt against his just made him fall further. He decided then, while kissing you in a field of flowers as the sunset watched, that he would do anything for you. If the stars ceased to exist, he would hang each individual light just to fill your eyes with wonder. If the clouds fell from the sky, he would spend a lifetime painting them back onto the sunlight, just to see you smile at them once more. If all the blossoms shriveled and died, he would summon the April rain just to make the May flowers grow. If you chose to dance in the rain, he would dance alongside you, with joy in your hearts and daisies in your hair. You had planted a seed in his heart as the snow fell to the ground, and now, in the middle of Spring, your seed had become a garden.

You pulled away from him, despite your mind’s protests. Lips still brushing against his, your chest heaved slightly to make up for lost air.

“Promise me,” you said breathlessly, “promise you’ll never stop kissing me like that, you’ll never stop loving me like this.”

“I promise, on everything I am,” he swore, just as winded as you.

Your lips met his again, but pulled away after a moment.

“I love you too, by the way,” you giggled.

He laughed, a full laugh that crinkled the corners of his eyes and nearly burst your swollen heart.

And you knew. You knew he would keep his promise, you knew he would love you endlessly. 

You knew that your love was just a bud, and would only continue to grow.


End file.
